We’re proud to announce that version 1.0.4 of Notchmeister is now available to download. And with it comes a revolutionary new feature called Fusion Dice.
They spin.
You can click on them, too.
Fusion Dice are the perfect accompaniment to a never-ending video conference—you’re looking right into the camera while clicking the time away! And even if you’re lucky enough to not be in one of those meetings, they’re still a great fidget toy.
This all began with a toot from BasicAppleGuy. As soon as I saw this image, I knew it had to happen:
Eventually, the world’s leading expert in 3D dice modeling got involved. If you love the dice in Notchmeister, you can take it to another level with Dice by PCalc.
Once I had the die in hand, I started thinking about how to get them under a notch. Of course, you need an airplane to do that.
It was clear early on that there might be some negative health aspects for this new feature. But we soldiered on with advice from the master.
Things started getting exciting once physics entered the picture. We even started thinking about power management. (In the end, it turned out that Fusion Dice actually POWER THE NOTCH.)
But!
There was a snag: the window where the dice were being displayed blocked interactions. A large area surrounding your menu bar that prevents mouse clicks has just a few usability issues, so I asked people who are smarter than me for help. Luckily Guy English, Steve Troughton-Smith, and Justin Miller came up with some pointers that led me to a solution. It may not look like it, but there are five windows on screen, working in concert, just so you can fiddle around with your notch. As it should be.
Meanwhile, Louie Mantia was off making a font for die-hard fans of typography and Star Wars. And creating the assets needed to play Corellian Spike.
So, of course we added another member to our ragtag team of dice lovers. Because who doesn’t want to win a Millennium Falcon?
All good collaborations come to an end, even if one of the team members comes up with an idea that makes you think it will never be done.
(Unfortunately, this work has also inspired another request, but please don’t ask us for Truck Nutz. The first problem would be the unpleasant experience of finding a 3D model; the final problem would be App Review.)
This effort has been a labor of love, but if you’d like to show your appreciation, we have plenty of other apps you can buy. You can also be like BasicAppleGuy and become a Patreon supporter. We treat our patrons right, but not always this extensively 😉
The bottom line is that the more you support us, the more we can do the things that bring a little weird joy to your life. Once you’ve done your part, hold down the Option key while clicking on the Help icon, then live long and prosper.
